Thursday, January 01, 2009

About Us & Respectful Defiance

Just some general information about us, this site, and site rules/policies.
About Joé McKen
My name is Joé McKen, though I'm usually known around the Web as Bumdark. I was born on December 29, 1991, in the heart of frigid Québec, Canada (meaning I'm currently 17 years old). I've moved a considerable amount of times already (over 14 at last count), ranging from Québec to Texas ('96–'01). I don't suppose my heart ever really left the Lone Star State, considering what a shithole this place is here ... but I digress. I'm currently out of High School and am slowly but surely pursuing my nascent music composition career. (And you may stress "slowly".) I basically live alone by myself in my room most of my days, but that's out of choice, not necessity – general people irk me. I don't trust strangers for crap. But I suppose my double-jackpot of mild Asperger's and mild Tourette's may count for that in some way or another. =( (Seriously, two rare neurological disorders at once ... someone up there doesn't like me, do they?) And so, deprived of any creative outlets, I originally created this blog to post my random thoughts and opinions on anything and anything that interests me, from current events to debates and social issues, to whatever. If anything, this blog is more of a personal journal than an actual web log in itself, so that one day perhaps I can look back and see how far I've come (if I've evolved). And so dear readers, I hope you'll forgive me if you find me to be particularly abrasive or trenchant in my posts, and especially my replies to people who just reek of stupidity or intolerable close-mindedness. My "defiance" is only as "respectful" as my patience and/or current mood allows me to be. ;) (Emotions are overrated.) You can check out my profile at IMDb.com for some "Top-10"-style favorites lists concerning various media and topics, and to check out my history there. Or whatever you feel like doing.
About Melissa
Melissa is a Bio Major up to her neck in studies that both exhaust and empassionate her, with a strong strain of misanthropy and a keen eye for critical thought and creative thinking, and whose passions include Jazz, arthouse films, animals, and a fair ground between open-mindedness and Conservative values. Oh, and bugs. Lots of bugs. You can check out Melissa's IMDb profile page for a lengthy list of movies she's seen and/or loved, as well as to follow her posting and commenting history.
Respectful Defiance blog
Joé originally created Respectful Defiance to be his personal shoutbox, his figurative mountaintop to the world, from where he could spew, vent and express anything he felt like writing about, from good to bad and every shade of grey in between. This blog still has the same function, only now it can serve as Melissa's venting post as well. :P We also both write up film reviews (and maybe reviews for other media as well) every now and then, which you can view in the corresponding section. This blog is not generally meant to be informative about current events or trends, and should not be considered or taken as such. Everything on here are our (Joé and Mel's) personal opinions and judgments on our insane world and the people and events that comprise it. If you take issue with something we say, then by all means, do leave a comment and we'll probably even reply. (Though probably not if you're just an ass about it. We do care for a modicum of manners.) We expect people to be at least minimally aware of news and events that happen, so forgive us if we don't elaborate on details that everyone should know by the time we write about it in an entry. We're here to spread our views and opinions, not to educate the masses. ;)

Site Rules & Policies

Check the appropriate section to learn about the can's and can't's and the do's and don't's of Respectful Defiance. Failure to comply with them could very well land you in the Idiots' Corner, so beware. ;)
If anyone has any questions, comments, criticism or anything else they wanna convey to either Joé or Mel, feel free to send it in (but only if we haven't already responded to your question or comment in the FAQ section) and we'll try and read and reply to said eMails as soon as we can. No promises, other than we'll try.